There will be an opening reception from 5-9 p.m. Oct. 4 at The Strauss Gallery in downtown Hamilton. The exhibition will be on display through Nov. The event is free and open to the public.
During the reception, there will be a solo acoustic performance by Ben Eglian and light refreshments.
Featuring 120 photos from across a decade, “Homesick from Spacecamp: The Liminal Photography of Jay Kidd” captures the pangs of nostalgia transitioning from different periods in one’s life to something new, while trying to honor what came before.
“A lot of these pieces were designed to elicit strong emotion from people as they observe transition, and as they observe nostalgia,” Kidd said.
It’s this idea that you are faced with a past that you can never truly return to, and that uneasy, gut-sick feeling that you get when you realize that you can never really go back home. The home you return to is not the same home you left from, he said.
“This show will remind you of a time that you can never return to, and your heart will ache because of it. Despite the fact we are living in objectively better times,” said Kidd.
The photos are all uniform, 8 x 10-inch, framed and matted photos that are curated in sections. This is not photography of space, it’s a feeling, he said.
Some of the photos are landscapes from both the United States and abroad, like an alley in Chinatown in San Francisco.
There are some photos of urban decay, for example, and most of those were taken locally.
There is also section of photos that are specifically of people, taken at a distance.
For people who are potentially confused by the name, Kidd included some space-themed photos that were taken at the Kennedy Space Center, including Space Shuttle Discovery.
“There are some absolutely, gorgeous, again melancholic shots of the space program throughout their displays. There are some wonderful pieces, but they are also nostalgia tinged,” Kidd said.
Kidd is actively involved in the local arts community. He serves as one of the managers for The Strauss Gallery and he is the property manager at Artspace Hamilton Lofts. He’s also the head of the 17 Strong Communications Committee.
Kidd is the founder of the award-winning Wraith Games, and creator of the block-crunching puzzle game, Collapsus. Kidd started Wraith Games while still in high school, and he graduated from Butler Tech in 2008.
HOW TO GO
What: “Homesick from Spacecamp: The Liminal Photography of Jay Kidd”
When: There will be an opening reception from 5-9 p.m. on Oct. 4. The exhibition will be on display through November.
Where: Artspace Hamilton Lofts & The Strauss Gallery, 222 High St., Hamilton
Cost: Free
More info: artspace.org/hamilton
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